Welcome Students and New Parishioners

As we transition to a new academic year, welcome all who are moving into or returning to Berkeley. We hope that Newman Hall – Holy Spirit Parishwill be your spiritual home during your time at Berkeley.

Striving to be faithful to our patrons Blessed John Henry Newman and the Holy Spirit, we endeavor to be a community that recognizes and employs the wonderful power of God’s gift of our intellect and reasoning skills, while humbly knowing we need God’s grace and love. This is a place for questioning, exploring, stumbling, and discovering together the mystery of God’s creation and ways, and our role in the world. We also endeavor to live the fire of the Holy Spirit, to be a community that loves and serves, co-workers in building the Kingdom the Heaven, a kingdom of peace and justice.

If you are a college student, this is wonderful time in your life to grow in maturity and personal identity. Make sure not only to focus on academic growth, but also on growth of the full person – spiritual, emotional, relational, physical, as well as academic. Though college will try to take up all your time, make sure to seek balance. The ways of society have a tendency to want to rob our soul and spirit.

We have a wonderful Student Ministry Team and FOCUS Missionary Team who are planning lots of great activities for the year. We also have numerous other student and parish groups and activities for students alone and students and permanent parishioners together. Don’t forget to call on any of the staff members if you have questions or concerns or you just want to chat. We also need your gifts and leadership skills, so please step up and get involved.

This is also our parish’s 50th year in our current building, where we strive to make faith concrete. We’ll be having a community celebration on Saturday, Sept. 30th. All are invited.